The prisoners were transferred from Egypt's Torah jail to state security headquarters in Cairo "directly after" the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington, director of the Islamic Observation Centre (IOC), Yasser al-Serri, told AFP by telephone from his London base.

"They were questioned on what they might have known about the background to these events [the attacks], what Al-Qaeda is and its technical capabilities," Serri said. He could not say how many were interrogated.

The prisoners were sentenced in a 1998 trial along with alleged Bin Laden right-hand-man Ayman al-Zawahri who was sentenced to death in absentia by the military court.

The trial was called the Albanian Veterans case because at least six of 107 accused had spent time in Albania receiving military training.

There was no confirmation of their interrogation from Egyptian authorities.

Earlier this week Jane's Security web site reported that Israeli military intelligence believes Zawahiri was one of the masterminds behind the attacks which destroyed the New York World Trade Center.

Serri, himself condemned to death in absentia for involvement in armed operations in Egypt, runs the IOC from London where he has been granted political asylum with the aim of upholding Muslim rights around the globe -- CAIRO (AFP)